Sport racquets, such as tennis racquets, are well known and typically include a frame having a head portion coupled to a handle portion by a throat portion. The head portion supports a string bed having a plurality of main string segments alternately interwoven with a plurality of cross string segments.
Players generally continually seek more control, more power and/or a better feel from their racquets. Highly skilled tennis players typically seek to impart spin onto the tennis ball when impacting the ball. The ability to impart a spin (a top spin or a back spin) to a ball increases a player's ability to control the ball and to hit the ball with more power during play. For example, imparting a top spin onto a tennis ball can enable a player to swing faster, hit the tennis ball harder and still keep the tennis ball in play within the court. Imparting a top spin to a ball can enable a player to aim higher, swing faster, clear the net and keep the ball in play. Skilled tennis players also seek a racquet that provides the sense or feel of an increased “dwell time” or contact time between the racquet and the ball upon impact. The increased dwell time improves not only the responsiveness of a racquet, but also its control, including the ability to impart spin on the ball. The swing used by highly skilled tennis players to impart a top spin on to a tennis ball includes an upward sweeping motion in combination with the forward swinging motion. Such a top spin swing is more difficult to perform well than a more horizontal swing because the upward and forward motion of the head portion of the racquet during a top spin swing results in a shorter time window for impacting the ball. The upward sweeping motion of a racquet swing used to impart a top spin onto a ball also produces more of a lateral load onto the racquet during impact.
Racquets are continually designed in an effort to improve performance and playability of the racquet. Many existing racquets include high racquet frame beam heights and other racquet geometries that increase the racquet stiffness in an effort to improve the performance of the racquet. Other existing racquets incorporate a larger sized hoop portion supporting a larger sized string bed (i.e., a larger head size) in an effort to increase the size of the string bed and the racquet's performance. However, as the head size of a racquet increases, so does the polar moment of inertia of the racquet. A racquet with a higher polar moment of inertia can be more difficult to maneuver, particularly at the net or upon return of serve, than a racquet with a lower moment of inertia. Other existing racquets include designs that seek to lengthen the main and cross string segments comprising the string bed in an effort to increase the performance of the racquet. However, there continues to be a need for a racquet that further improves the performance and playability of the racquet.
There is a continuing need to provide a racquet that offers improved performance such as increased control, increased power, and/or improved feel. There is an ongoing need to provide an improved racquet design that seeks to improve all forms of racquet swing motions, including the upward sweeping motion of a topspin swing. There is a continuing need for a racquet having a string bed with an enlarged sweet spot and providing an increased “dwell time,” without negatively effecting the overall performance of the racquet. It would be advantageous to provide a racquet with an enlarged sweet spot and an increased “dwell time” without increasing the polar moment of inertia of the racquet head and without negatively affecting the maneuverability of the racquet. There is also a need for a racquet having a string bed with an enlarged sweet spot that is not a radical departure in look and design from traditional sport racquet designs.